ENOTECA Italian Restaurant, Bkt Damansara, Kuala Lumpur

Enoteca is located where Neroteca used to be, in this quiet suburb in Bukit Damansara, the little commercial area known as Plaza Damansara. It’s not related to the previous restaurant as Enoteca has a completely new team, from the Italian chef to the management and of course, its menu.

Warmly received by the affable restaurant manager, Domenico Ferroni, fondly nicknamed “Mimmo”, the warm cosy restaurant is immediately welcoming. And when Chef Stefano came out and proclaimed that he will be cooking some of his signature and new dishes for us, I knew we’re in for a swell time.

As with any good Italian meal, we started off with a platter of Tagliere Enoteca – a sumptuous selection of premium imported Italian cold cuts and cheese served with grilled vegetables and their freshly baked rosemary focaccia.

Tagliere Enoteca (RM99 full/RM50 half)

Next, Chef Stefano proudly served his new Piovra Arrosto con spuma di burrata e pesto rosso which is boiled and grilled octopus with mousse burrata cheese and red Mediterranean pesto. It’s such a well-balanced starter… the rich creamy cheese and pesto did wonders to the succulent grilled octopus! I wished that wasn’t a starter but a more robust mains – then I could have more of that delectable octopus!

Piovra Arrosto con spuma di burrata e pesto rosso

When I saw that woodfire oven at the back, I knew I just had to try some of Enoteca’s handmade pizzas. We had the Pizza Margherita, which is a true test of how good an Italian pizza should be. As deceptively simple as it looked, I’m happy to say Enoteca’s passed with flying colours! Tomato sauce with mozzarella cheese and fresh aromatic basil leaves – what more can one ask for?

Pizza Margherita (RM26)

Having quickly devoured the piping hot cheesy Margherita, we decided we needed more of that, so we had their porky Pizza Gorgonzola Salsiccia. This turned out to be one of their latest items in the menu – pizza with gorgonzola cheese and decadent home-made pork sausage!

Pizza gorgonzola e salsiccia

If you love fresh house-made pasta, then you are in for a treat in Enoteca. Chef Stefano is a wizard with pasta and he prefers to make them fresh at the restaurant. We had three of his fresh chitarra dishes, done Carbonara-style, with Italian sausages & truffle oil and another with lobster saute’ed with fresh tomatoes. They were all absolutely divine!

Another signature dish of Chef Stefano is his freshly made ravioli filled with ricotta cheese and spinach served with creamy walnut paste and aromatic butter. It’s totally comforting, every bite bursting with heart-warming flavours.

When the Main Courses came, they came with a big bang! Chef Stefano’s favourite porky dishes hit our table with aplomb. First was the wickedly glistening pork shank which had been braised for hours in red wine and herb. Served with simple boiled vegetables by the side, the tender flavoursome meat was delightfully heart-warming.

Gelato (RM15) Home-made vanilla and pistachio ice-cream served in a flowerlike wafer biscuit known as “cialde” (a fragrant buttery Italian pastry). I asked for extras of these!

Bukit Damansara is now all abuzz with the authentic Italian fares prepared passionately by the chef in this neighbourhood restaurant. More exciting stuff are in in the pipeline but meanwhile, we’ll be back for those amazing house-made pastas, pizzas and divine ice-cream!